The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien

Being the Fifth Post of my Project Reread...
I must admit I was amazed at how much Peter Jackson’s vision from the movies influenced so much of what I saw in my mind’s eye while I was rereading The Fellowship of the Ring (it has been near 20 years since I read these books, after all). I do not want to imply this is a bad thing... it is just something I noticed very early on in my reread of The Fellowship of the Ring. Although, now that I think on it, it may be that the movies matched so much of what I remembered of reading the books that the two will be forever connected in some way in my mind. The beauty, splendor, adventure, history, legends, language, cultures, as well as the core of the story are things which the films seem to do a nice job of translating to a visual medium. At the time the movies were coming out, it was certainly a fabulous period to be a Tolkien fan... I almost called it “a heyday of Tolkien fandom”, but felt that was wrong somehow - surely, thanks to the movies, there was a whole new generation who learned of Tolkien, but who is to say when the ultimate appreciation of Tolkien has been, or will be?

As for a review of the book itself? Well, I love it... did when I first read it, and still do - is that enough info? OK, my love of Tolkien is a somewhat complex thing. I have difficulty separating my thoughts on this book with my thoughts on The Lord of the Rings as a whole (which should be the case). I think that due to this, my thoughts on each book are to be relatively brief, but when I have three posts up, one for each book, my collective ramblings, taken as a whole, will hopefully give a fuller picture of my views on the story.
For now I would like to comment on how the story begins... in a word - slowly. I personally enjoyed being pulled into the story (which does have a lot of action) through the time spent learning about the Shire and its residents, getting back-story here and there before we set off on the quest. It is this world building mechanism, which slowly evolves, that I feel adds to the depth of the world. Some would argue this point, but imagine what the reaction would be of the publication of The Lord of the Rings in today’s market? Reader reaction would most likely be much different - instant gratification is almost a must nowadays it seems, which is something of shame - gone are the days of gradual buildup, everything feels like it has to start with a bang... although, in the case of The Fellowship of the Ring there are fireworks. Of course, the creation of Middle Earth was, by most accounts, Tolkien’s life work - years and years were spent not only creating places, but characters, cultures, songs, history, legends, and languages... so you can't really begrudge him for taking his time.

One of the main things I think, and will probably repeat, is that this is a truly timeless tale, written in a timeless form. It is every bit as enjoyable, enlightening, and engrossing as it was when I first read it - probably as much so as when it was written, and almost certainly will be 50 years from now. One of the simplest reasons for this, I feel, is mentioned by Tolkien himself right in the introduction to The Fellowship of the Ring - “allegory” vs. “applicability”. Tolkien deliberately avoided allegory, and quite clearly expresses his dislike for things allegorical. So instead we get applicability - the reader gets to place his or her own connections on story elements, if they choose to... one person can compare Sauron to Hitler, another to Bush, and another still to their overbearing boss. There is much to the story which seems to transcend the time it was written in, but this view of “allegory” and “applicability” by Tolkien, without a doubt in my mind, is a main contributing factor to the timelessness of Tolkien’s work. This is to say nothing of the language use (which will need to wait for another day).

Was it worth a reread? Yes. The timeless nature mentioned above provides a reread-ability which is quite high. This will most likely not be the last time I read this book.
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Collector’s note - oh boy, now that is a can of worms... The Lord of the Rings, and Tolkien, are HIGHLY collectible. From when it was first published back in the 1950’s, The Lord of the Rings has had colorful printing history (with a bit of intrigue to go with it). To get the various impressions and printings straight in your head would take much more time than I have - I know to some it is probably quite simple, just not me. Please check out some of the following links to learn more about collecting Tolkien...

Tolkien Collector’s Guide
Tolkien Library
Tolkien Collector
JRR Tolkien: A Collection

Here’s my suggestion if you want to get into collecting Tolkien - unless you’ve just won the powerball, start small, find a nice clean matching set (pick whatever cover art that appeals to you), don’t worry too much about what printing you have, and then upgrade and add on from there.... to quote the boss, “From small things, mama Big things one day come”.
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Up next on my Project Reread - The Two Towers - somehow, it just doesn’t feel right to split up a reading of The Lord of the Rings. The Lord of the Rings is one story, one book really - and reminds me that I should go hunting for a nice one volume edition for the shelf. The two other series which are part of my Project Reread can also be considered “one story” (albeit, unfinished at this point), but their structures feel much different, giving each book a bit more of a stand alone impression.